ORLANDO, Fla. – The sister of the 38-year-old woman killed in a string of Pine Hills shootings last week remembers her as a giving person with a big heart.
Rose Augustin-Wright said her younger sister, 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, one of three shot and killed on Feb. 22 in Pine Hills, was also her first best friend.
“She was a loving, kind, very energetic person,” Augustin-Wright said. “She had a big smile that can’t help but make you smile.”
Augustin-Wright added she was welcoming and supportive of everyone.
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“One of the best daughters, sisters, aunts and friends you could have on your side,” said Augustin’s sister, adding as a close-knit family, they always checked in with each other.
Augustin-Wright said she heard her sister had been fatally shot around 11 a.m. on Hialeah Street through her husband, who had received the news from her mother.
“I was in shock. I was in disbelief,” she said, just having spoken with Augustin the previous day. “There are times I’m still in disbelief at this moment that this happened. It’s an unexplainable pain for anyone to go through.”
About a dozen people gathered at Barnett Park on Wednesday to release balloons in honor of Nathacha Augustin.
Shaka Smith was the first person to let balloons drift into the sky for his friend of 10 years.
“Best human being I know, one of the best,” Smith said. “This is the worst pain we could ever have.”
Augustin’s friends made it clear vigils and balloon releases should not be normalized.
Charlotte Cha Cha Davis attended the gathering and remembers Augustin as someone who served the community.
“It’s really a tragedy that this has happened to her and her life and her family, and I just pray for them,” Charlotte Davis said.
She said gun violence needs to be addressed and she questions how weapons keep getting into the hands of young people.
“There’s a conversation that’s not being had in this city about where the guns (are) coming from, how (they are) getting in our inner city to our inner-city kids,” Charlotte Davis said.
Ameer Davis, head of an organization called Stop The Violence, said Pine Hills doesn’t need another task force.
“These kids need somewhere to go,” Ameer Davis said.
He recommends a facility that provides activities and sports for youth, so they will stay out of trouble. Ameer is urging young people to put an end to the violence.
“Put down the guns, young men. Spare a life,” Ameer Davis said. “It (isn’t) worth it, man, spending your life in jail.”
He believes teen gun violence can be reduced by enforcing a curfew for youth in Pine Hills.
Keith Moses, 19, was arrested in connection with her death on Hialeah Street and returned to the scene, where hours later he shot and killed 9-year-old T’yonna Major and 24-year-old Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons and critically injured T’yonna’s mother, who has not been named, and 29-year-old Spectrum News 13 photographer Jesse Walden, deputies said.
“Anybody that knew Tasha, knew she was supportive, kind. She wanted to see everybody win,” Augustin-Wright said.
Augustin-Wright said her sister would champion her friends and family, rallying for people to strive in school and business ventures and connecting others in an effort to help them succeed.
“Very big heart,” her sister said. “She’s a very passionate person. She loved people. She loved life.”
She said Augustin was “a big family person,” who lived with her mom and brother and enjoyed spending time with her almost 3-year-old niece, who was like a daughter to her.
“We’re all in shock. We are heartbroken. We are angry. We are lost,” Augustin-Wright said. “It is very painful... I’ve never experienced this type of pain before. And we’re still grieving the loss of our father that passed away last year. So this has compounded our grief to another level... They took a light out of the community because she was the friendliest, most supportive person you can meet.”
Moses faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Augustin, T’yonna and Lyons and attempted first-degree murder charges in the shootings of the girl’s mother and Walden.
To help Augustin’s family pay for her funeral expenses, donate here. There will be a vigil and balloon release for Augustin at Barnett Park at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
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